Broncos released Orton today in an effort for him to get back to the Bears. Do we put a claim in on him in order to block him heading to Chicago?

November 23rd, 2011, 12:18 am

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Kyle Orton released

PFT wrote:

Plenty of teams could block Bears’ effort to get OrtonPosted by Mike Florio on November 22, 2011, 10:13 PM EST

It’s a nice, feel-good Thanksgiving week story. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler breaks a thumb. The Broncos have cut a former Bears quarterback who’d like to play in Chicago again. And there’s nothing more natural than a homecoming on the fourth Thursday in November.

The only problem? At least 22 teams can provide the flight delay and/or the traffic jam that prevents Kyle Orton from scarfing down sausage with the Superfans.

After the trading deadline, all players who are released must pass through waivers. Priority is determined by record. And so every team higher than the Bears in the pecking order will have dibs on Orton, if they choose to exercise it.

The Bears reportedly are No. 30 on the list. Which means that every team except the 49ers and Packers will be able to grab him.

It doesn’t matter whether Orton “wants” to play for the Bears. If another team claims him, he has 2.5 million reasons to show up.

At the top of the stack, what better way to test whether the Colts are in full-blown “Suck for Luck” mode than to see whether they’d bring in a quarterback who is significantly better than Curtis Painter or Dan Orlovsky? They’d be crazy not to make a claim. Unless they’re truly crazy for Andrew Luck.

The 4-6 Chiefs also need help, given the performance of Tyler Palko on Monday night. (And with the Chiefs playing the Broncos again on January 1, there could be some strategic benefit to having him around.) Ditto for the Redskins, whose head coach could be coaching for his job, with Rex Grossman and John Beck as the blanks in the bazooka.

And how about NFC teams that hope to pick off a wild-card berth if/when the Bears slide with Caleb Hanie or Nathan Enderle? The 7-3 Lions, 6-4 Falcons, the 6-4 Cowboys (whose primary backup, Jon Kitna, is banged up), the 6-4 Giants, the 4-6 Bucs, and even the 4-6 Dream Team would have an incentive to block the Bears from getting their way.

Let’s also not forget about the Texans, who may not be completely sold on Matt Leinart, despite the decision to put all their eggs in a beer bong.

Finally, it would be foolish to overlook good, old-fashioned spite. In 2002, Deion Sanders wanted to emerge from retirement and hop onto the silver-and-black bandwagon. So the Redskins released his rights. And former Redskins coach Marty Schottenheimer, the man whose presence in 2001 prompted Sanders to pick retirement over playing, put in a waivers claim on Sanders, short-circuiting his plan. With three NFC North teams on track to make it to the playoffs, maybe the 2-8 Vikings would be tempted to keep the Bears from getting Orton, in the hopes that they’ll have company in the non-playoff party.

That’s highly unlikely. But the point is that there are many possible motivations, and just because the Bears want Orton and Orton wants the Bears, it doesn’t mean he’ll end up there. Indeed, the fact that the Bears and Orton are trying to rendezvous could be the tiebreaker for a team that is thinking about disrupting that plan.

UPDATE 10:35 p.m. ET: As a reader pointed out on Twitter, claiming Orton has another benefit. When he leaves as a free agent in March 2012, the team that employs him for six weeks would be in line for a compensatory draft pick. So there’s one more good reason to consider doing it.

If you were a team in the playoff hunt and suddenly found yourself in all-out Armageddon at quarterback, who would you rather turn to: Kyle Orton or Nathan Enderle?

The answer is obvious, at least to me, and that's why it makes perfect sense for the Chicago Bears to place a waiver claim on Orton, whom the Denver Broncos waived Tuesday. Orton is three years removed from his tenure in Chicago and has no background with the offense the Bears run under offensive coordinator Mike Martz. But if current starter Caleb Hanie were sidelined while Jay Cutler recovers from thumb surgery, I would feel better with a veteran like Orton -- even if he knows 40 percent of the playbook -- than a rookie whose last game experience came while playing for the Idaho Vandals.

Coach Lovie Smith said Monday that he hoped to sign a veteran for depth in the coming days, and the Bears' lack of movement so far has fueled speculation they might be eyeing Orton. According to the Denver Post, Orton and his agent pushed for a move this week to give him a chance to re-join the Bears following Cutler's injury.

But keep in mind that the waiver system awards players in reverse order of record, with ties broken by strength of schedule, and there are at least two teams who have priority over the Bears that might also be interested. The Kansas City Chiefs have lost starter Matt Cassel and are going with inexperienced backup Tyler Palko. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are without starter Matt Schaub. The Chiefs and Texans have waiver priority over the Bears. *Update: The Texans are not interested in Orton, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

We'll know by Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET whether Orton has been claimed or if he is a free agent. I don't see a short-term scenario in which Orton could come in and start over Hanie, but he would be a more reliable option than Enderle at this point. From my understanding, Orton left Chicago on good terms with the organization and is respected by the veterans in their locker room. Stay tuned.

Detroit vs. EverybodyClowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

November 23rd, 2011, 10:05 am

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Kyle Orton released

NFL Nation Blog wrote:

Should the Colts claim Kyle Orton?November, 23, 2011By Paul Kuharsky

The Indianapolis Colts can have quarterback Kyle Orton if they want him.

The question is, should they want him?

Why they should: They stand to end up with with a historically bad record, just six weeks away from 0-16. They are deciding whether to move forward with Curtis Painter or change up to Dan Orlovsky. Orton is, without a doubt, a better quarterback than either of them. But he’d come in needing to learn what the Colts do, or they’d need to bend what they do to him. And that’s a lot to take on at this stage of the season.

The Colts aren’t big benders. Claiming Orton would be doing something different. It’s been a season when many critics have wondered why the Colts wouldn’t do something -- anything -- different to give themselves a better chance at winning. Grabbing Orton would be just that.

Why they shouldn’t: Frankly, if Orton came in and helped the Colts win a couple games, he could screw up the team’s draft position. The Colts have a pretty strong hold on the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft, and the consensus around the league is that Stanford’s Andrew Luck is the best quarterback to come out of college in some time.

I’m sure there is a salary-cap issue, but if the Colts really wanted Orton, they could find a way.

My verdict: Why not? A claim would make a statement to Colts fans that the team is still interested in improving and is unafraid of making a bold move.

That said, I’d be surprised if they do it. Staying the course has been a big deal for Indianapolis, and they’ve talked as if staying steady will win them something even if it means they don’t win a game.

We arrived at a general consensus Tuesday in the hours after the Denver Broncos waived quarterback Kyle Orton: It makes sense for the Chicago Bears to add him to their roster. The best process for doing so, however, is less obvious.

The Bears have the third-lowest priority this week in the NFL's waiver system, an order based on record with ties broken in reverse order of strength of schedule. The two teams behind them, the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers, seem unlikely to place a claim.

So if Orton isn't claimed by a team with higher priority than the Bears, he would be a strong candidate to clear waivers entirely and become a free agent. The Denver Post has reported Orton wants to return to Chicago, making it likely he would accept a one-year contract at the minimum NFL salary for a player of his experience level to finish out the year with the Bears.

That scenario suggests the Bears probably don't need to claim Orton, as NFL analyst Ross Tucker noted via Twitter. It won't impact the end result, and waiting out the waiver process would save the Bears about $2.4 million in cash and salary-cap space by sitting tight. That's the difference between the pro-rated portion of his $7.3 million base salary, which the Broncos would pay if he clears waivers, and what the Bears would owe him in pro-rated minimum salary.

One argument for placing a claim regardless is that it could improve the Bears' standing in the complicated formula for awarding compensatory draft picks for departed free agents, presuming Orton signs elsewhere in the offseason. I'm not sure if the Bears will consider that possibility worth the extra $2.4 million. We'll know for sure by the 4 p.m. ET end of business Wednesday.

We just finished hashing through the various paths available to the Chicago Bears if they want to reacquire quarterback Kyle Orton. In short, the Bears probably don't need to place a waiver claim to complete the process.

There is one other possibility, one that happens often in other sports but rarely in the NFL. Would a team claim Orton for competitive purposes, solely to prevent his return to Chicago? And if so, could that team be the Detroit Lions?

A number of you have asked that, and ESPN analyst Andrew Brandt broached the topic Wednesday morning via Twitter.

The Lions and Bears have matching 7-3 records and are competing for a playoff spot. Detroit is set at quarterback with Matthew Stafford, Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton. But surely they know how much trouble the Bears would be in if new starter Caleb Hanie were sidelined before Jay Cutler can return from surgery on his right thumb.

The gambit would cost the Lions $2.6 million in cash, and they would have to do some roster shuffling to fit Orton underneath their salary cap. Would you spend that much money, in the process adding a player who probably wouldn't appreciate being used as a competitive tool, to prevent a competitor from improving? Vote in the poll accompanying this post and/or let me in the comments section below.

Orton, the quarterback who was waived by the Broncos on Tuesday, was picked up by the Chiefs today, according to multiple reports. With Matt Cassel out for the season, Orton shouldn’t need much time to move ahead of Tyler Palko on the depth chart and become the starter in Kansas City.

The development is bad news for the Bears, who reportedly wanted to bring Orton in after Jay Cutler suffered a broken thumb. The Bears will now go with Caleb Hanie until Cutler is healthy.

We don’t yet know how many teams put in claims for Orton. It could make sense for teams competing with the Bears for a wild-card berth — like the Lions, Falcons, Cowboys and Giants — to put in a claim on Orton just to block him from going to the Bears. But that’s now a moot point: The team that took Orton is a team that desperately needs to improve at the quarterback position in a hurry.

Despite reports that Orton didn’t want to go to the Chiefs, he won’t have much choice: The Chiefs own his rights. Now we’ll see whether he can get things going in Kansas City in time to help them compete for the AFC West — including a big game in Denver in Week 17.

how did they not even try and trade him? is he really costing them that much to be a backup? who do they have if the "mighty" tebow goes down? im seriously doubting Elway as a GM.....

They couldn't trade him. The trade deadline is long past. And Orton is a FA this off season.

That said, I think the Bears and Broncos had some sort of back door deal to get Orton to the Bears. I am so glad the Chiefs screwed that pooch for them.

November 25th, 2011, 5:52 pm

regularjoe12

Def. Coordinator – Teryl Austin

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4212Location: Davison Mi

Re: Kyle Orton released

BillySims wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

how did they not even try and trade him? is he really costing them that much to be a backup? who do they have if the "mighty" tebow goes down? im seriously doubting Elway as a GM.....

They couldn't trade him. The trade deadline is long past. And Orton is a FA this off season.

That said, I think the Bears and Broncos had some sort of back door deal to get Orton to the Bears. I am so glad the Chiefs screwed that pooch for them.

ok so they cant trade him...but who do they have as a backup for Tebow though? they're paying Orton Salary no matter what at this point..so why release him? it simply doesnt make sense.

_________________2013 Lionbacker Fantasy Football Champion

November 26th, 2011, 11:20 am

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: Kyle Orton released

regularjoe12 wrote:

BillySims wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

how did they not even try and trade him? is he really costing them that much to be a backup? who do they have if the "mighty" tebow goes down? im seriously doubting Elway as a GM.....

They couldn't trade him. The trade deadline is long past. And Orton is a FA this off season.

That said, I think the Bears and Broncos had some sort of back door deal to get Orton to the Bears. I am so glad the Chiefs screwed that pooch for them.

ok so they cant trade him...but who do they have as a backup for Tebow though? they're paying Orton Salary no matter what at this point..so why release him? it simply doesnt make sense.

The Chiefs pick up the remainder of Orton's salary for this season. The Broncos still have Brady Quinn, who I would assume is now the backup to Tebow.

The Broncos have some serious QB issues. They released their best QB when they released Orton.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.

November 26th, 2011, 11:23 am

regularjoe12

Def. Coordinator – Teryl Austin

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4212Location: Davison Mi

Re: Kyle Orton released

Quote:

The Chiefs pick up the remainder of Orton's salary for this season. The Broncos still have Brady Quinn, who I would assume is now the backup to Tebow.

The Broncos have some serious QB issues. They released their best QB when they released Orton.

oh really? maybe im mixing it up with trades?? I thought when you released a guy you were on the hook for the rest of that years contract even if he got scooped up off waivers.

Either way though you are in line with my thinking. they benched their best QB and then released him and got NOTHING in return. between this and trading off their most productive WR for a 5th or 6th round draft pick Elway is looking VERY Millenesque.

_________________2013 Lionbacker Fantasy Football Champion

November 26th, 2011, 11:29 am

m2karateman

RIP Killer

Joined: October 20th, 2004, 4:16 pmPosts: 10408Location: Where ever I'm at now

Re: Kyle Orton released

regularjoe12 wrote:

Quote:

The Chiefs pick up the remainder of Orton's salary for this season. The Broncos still have Brady Quinn, who I would assume is now the backup to Tebow.

The Broncos have some serious QB issues. They released their best QB when they released Orton.

oh really? maybe im mixing it up with trades?? I thought when you released a guy you were on the hook for the rest of that years contract even if he got scooped up off waivers.

Either way though you are in line with my thinking. they benched their best QB and then released him and got NOTHING in return. between this and trading off their most productive WR for a 5th or 6th round draft pick Elway is looking VERY Millenesque.

I believe that if you release a player who was on your opening day roster, the team is responsible for his entire salary UNLESS another team picks him up off waivers. At that point the team that picks him up is responsible for the pro-rated remainder of the contract he's under with his old team for that season.

At this point, I'd say Elway is more Josh McDaniels II than Millen. Millen didn't know how to draft, but he never got rid of QBs or top WRs. Between McDaniels and Elway they've now shipped out their two best QBs, their two best WRs and one of their better TEs. And let's remember, they also traded a 2nd round CB to us for a 7th round TE they eventually cut.

I feel bad for Broncos fans. Tebow has now won 5 games for them, and they think that somehow he's their answer. They've beaten Miami, Oakland, KC, NY Jets and San Diego with him at QB. All of them are either bad, or very inconsistent performing teams. In those five games, he's thrown for a TOTAL of 601 yards. His completion rating right now is 45.5%. What is saving him is the fact that he's thrown just one pick (the Chris Houston 100 yard pick six) on the season. He doesn't make a mistake by throwing into coverage, and chooses to run the ball instead. Other than that, he's terrible. But, wins are wins. Nobody can take that away from him....he just wins.

_________________I will not put on blinders when it comes to our QBs performances.